


Crazy Thursday

by cottxnflower



Series: Heartless [1]
Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Drone-Operator Winwin, Lots of Angst, Mafia NCT, Mentioned WayV Ensemble, Robot Yuta, fluff too, mostly angst though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23178517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cottxnflower/pseuds/cottxnflower
Summary: The world was convinced that AI is going to bring about a new era of technology in the coming years. S.M, along with many other major companies have claimed that their plans are to create a world where robotic citizens live alongside humans, becoming a new way of life. Soon, with their machines' advanced intelligence and outlook, there would be no divide between human and robot.Winwin thought otherwise. He knew that no amount of AI could replicate what made humans, human: emotion.Until he meets Yuta.orWhere drone-operator Winwin catches feelings he shouldn't and Yuta reciprocates them; something Winwin thought was impossible.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta
Series: Heartless [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666297
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	Crazy Thursday

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii! This is my first fic ever so sorry if there’s any mistakes T^T The story’s gonna alternate between Winwin’s and Yuta’s perspectives every chapter. I hope you enjoy! :)
> 
> [Edited 4/21/20]
> 
> \- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
> Twitter → [@minhyungnist](https://twitter.com/minhyungnist)
> 
> CuriousCat → [Minhyungly](https://t.co/R4AdsO6Z37?amp=1)

_[WINWIN]_

Sicheng never really liked pies. He always thought they were too sweet and too flaky. The smell of freshly baked pastries waft through the cold evening air, stirring up his appetite. If he were under different circumstances, maybe Sicheng would’ve walked into the bakery and fancy himself a warm strudel, which was very different from pies contrary to popular belief. 

_Who likes pie anyways?_

Instead, Sicheng stood behind a bakery in a dark crevice between a dumpster and a litter of old boxes absently tossing a knife in his hand.

He found comfort in the way his fingers slipped easily into the rhythm of catching and flicking its hilt; Kun had scolded him once for tossing it so carelessly. Sicheng has never caught the wrong end before and he was certain that he never will. 

Tonight he was decked out in all black— a hoodie, denim jacket, jeans, and boots. A small backpack was slung over his shoulder. His fingerless gloves did little to protect against the frosty air as he continued to toss his knife. 

A small blue light flickers in invitation in the air in front of him. 

He was wearing his Nano Glass, a small, computerized contact lens placed in the left eye that allows its wearers to virtualize their surroundings and connect to digital databases. Lucas was able to get his hands on a couple dozens of the unmarked beta lenses when they were first released and Hendery had managed to link the lenses to Vision’s main database making it possible for them to access information anytime and anywhere at the touch of a finger. 

The Nano Glass had helped them immensely on countless occasions. If it were to fall into the wrong hands however, all of Vision’s work would be breached. 

For the second time.

Sicheng tucked his knife away and tapped his on the floating blue circle, the static from his earpiece being quickly replaced by Hendery’s voice.

“Winwin? Is everything okay!?” His friend’s voice booms frantically in Chinese. 

“I’m fine,” He answers dully.

“You went dark without warning almost three hours ago! What happened!?” Hendery asks worriedly, his voice undermining anger.

“Nothing. I just wanted some alone-time.” Sicheng says dismissively as he crouches down and unslings his backpack. “Besides, that doesn’t matter right now. Let’s not forget why I’m here in the first place.”

Sicheng was “here” as in City 127, the lavish capital of South Korea where robotic-humans made up about 46% of the population with an estimated 4-5 robots per every 10 people.

127 has the largest human-robot population in the world, but it didn’t mean that everywhere else had little robot abundance. The number of robots inhabiting big cities across the world was only going up. The reason why City 127 had the biggest population was because one of the largest robotics companies in the world–S.M Inc.– was located in the heart of the city.

In less than two decades, S.M was able to develop and engineer synthetic materials that resembled the skin, flesh, and even some major organs of the human body. The notoriously known “blood” that ran through their artificial veins was blue, consisting of words and chemicals that Sicheng didn’t even know existed. 

But what captivated the world was how far S.M’s scientists were able to progress the works of Artificial Intelligence. S.M’s AI technology and engineering were now used all over the world with robots working in every field; from being teachers, healthcare assistants, security officers, to taking part in countless menial jobs such as acting as clerk, cashier, everything and anything one could name.

They were able to do everything humans can. Maybe even better.

The world was convinced that AI is going to bring about a new age of technology in the coming years. S.M, along with many other major companies have claimed that their plans to create a new world where robotic citizens become a new way of life were becoming more and more realistic by the day. They claim that with the robot’s advanced intelligence and outlook, there would soon be no divide between a human and a robot.

Sicheng thought otherwise.

He knew that no amount of AI could replicate what made humans, human: emotion.

Sure, the technological sciences have advanced tremendously with the emergence of all these robots. It was undoubtedly true that they’ve made an impact and are slowly becoming a part of everyone’s everyday lives.

But that’s exactly what they were. Robots. All the technology in the world couldn’t give a robot a heart.

_Robots have no emotion. Robots have no heart._

City 127 was bustling with these emotionless beings, just dolled-up droids programmed to smile, wave, and conduct simple tasks that any human can. 

_I hate them._

Sicheng shakes his stray thoughts aside and refocuses himself.

He arrived here a few hours ago upon Kun’s orders. His job was to gather information on some potential conspirators that Xiaojun flagged in a suspicious-looking chat room on the dark web— and Kun had reason to believe that the anonymous conspirators were the ones that Vision had been looking for.

Over his earpiece, Sicheng hears Hendery sigh in frustration. A moment passes before he speaks again. “I assume you’re ready then,”

Sicheng opens his backpack’s canvas flap and rummages through the litter of gadgets and snacks he got from a vending machine earlier. A crumpled pack of peanuts from Kun’s plane lay at the bottom of his stash. He hadn’t had time to grab a meal, so he settled for an assortment of chips and candies he bought on his way out of the airport. Kun had also urged him to take a gun. “Just in case,” He has said. At last, he produces a small drone along with a well-worn controller. He flicks on a switch and the little machine whirrs alive in response.

“Yes.”

“Great,” Hendery chirps in contrast to his annoyance, the sound of keyboard clicks and mechanical beeps following in suit. “Pairing our coms with your camera system now. Standby.”

Sicheng bends down to grab a handful of gummies from his bag with his free hand, shoving them all in his mouth at once just as Kun’s voice comes onto the line.

“Winwin, I need you to listen to me and listen to me carefully,” He says quietly but firmly. 

Sicheng struggles to swallow his candy. “Yeah?” He manages to say.

“The five of us are going to be monitoring your feed and whereabouts the whole time. But you have to remember— you’re physically on your own. So don’t linger around longer than you need to.” Kun pauses. “Just– just be careful, okay? I’d be damned if something were to happen to you under my call.”

Sicheng swallows his lump of gummies in response. “No worries. I’ll be in and out in a jiffy.” 

“Let’s hope so. I’ll let Yangyang take over.” Kun replies tightly. 

There’s shuffling over the line followed by what sounds like a chair falling over. Sure enough, Yangyang comes onto the line.

“Alrighty,” Yangyang says through another wave of beeps and clicks. “It looks like X is in a warehouse of some sort, a couple blocks down from where you are,” He explains, referring to the potential suspects. “I think your best bet is to stick where you are and maybe get to higher ground if possible. I’m picking up increased signs of street activity not too far away from you.”

Higher ground? Sicheng looked around. His eyes settle on a ladder at the side of the bakery’s wall. He walks towards it and reaches up, giving it a small tug. It took a few tries before the rusty metal gave in.

“The plan is to make sure you don’t die,” Yangyang says half-jokingly as Sicheng puts his belongings back into his back and slings it over his shoulder as he begins to climb the creaky ladder. His gloves offer little protection against the metal’s cold bite.

“Get as much info that we can about this ‘X’ guy. I’ll be watching your feed, Hendery will be tracking the drone, and Kun will run the logistics when he gets the chance. Your job is to be our eyes.”

Sicheng couldn’t help but grin. He’s been flying drones since he was a kid. Before, it used to be for fun, like racing with his friends or pulling pranks on the grownups. Now, Sicheng had grown accustomed to picking and delivering packages, along with conducting elaborate sweeps that may or may not include the use of gunfire, Kun’s split-second decisions to blow up a building, or like what he was about to do tonight: spying. 

_Crazy Thursday._

Either way, it meant that he got to tinker around with his drone, one of his newer models that he hadn’t got around to testing yet. Kun had provided him with an extravagant workspace and top-quality materials to make, design, and operate his own creations. Sicheng made sure to use it to the fullest.

After some struggling, Sicheng pulls himself over the roof’s edge, panting from the effort. 

_I need to exercise more._

The rooftop was empty aside from a small entry door in the far corner. He walks to the side-edge facing away from the doorway and sets his bag down quietly. 

Sicheng pauses, remembering that he saw someone inside the bakery earlier. Nothing good would come out from getting caught since, you know, a skinny Chinese boy camping out on top of your roof in the middle of the night while operating a beta drone with some potentially dangerous firearms built in to spy on some illegal cyber crooks wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to wrap your head around.

“All you have to do is fly in and stake out a bit until we find something useful. I’m gonna try to see if I can pick up something through the airwaves.” Yangyang pauses. “But remember to prioritize your safety. The second you feel something is off, leave. I can’t count how many times you’ve screwed yourself over by not trusting your gut. Don’t wait around if you don’t have to. If you have to ditch your drone, try to destroy it first.” He continues. “Everything sounds good?”

“Everything sounds good,” Sicheng repeats. He reaches into his bag and carefully pulls out the small beeping drone again. The flashing light went from red to green signifying that the drone’s camera had been successfully paired. 

“Camera’s good to go,” Sicheng says while waving at the lens. He reaches up and clicks his earpiece to connect. The audio splits evenly with Yangyang on one side and the drone’s mic on the other in one sitting. His Nano Glass follows in suit, half of the digital blue screen before him showing Vision’s office and the other half seeing through the eyes of the drone. 

“Great.” Yangyang’s fingers fly across the keyboard. “I’ll tap into the street cams and cut the feed for a bit. Wait for my signal.” 

“Will do,” Sicheng says while reaching down to take another handful of gummies. In his free hand, his fingers glide skillfully over the controller as he starts up the drone’s engine. The small black machine rises steadily into the air, a faint whirring being the only thing to cut the night’s silence. 

Sicheng figured that he would tailor this particular model just for this mission— meaning he chose to use light materials over heavier one and softer materials especially when it came to the propellers.

So far, the drone seemed to be working better than he expected. It was small, sleek and most importantly quiet. Sicheng made sure to leave out Vision’s branding of their iconic “V” on the machine in case the drone were to get caught or have a passing camera capture their logo. Instead, he inscribed the side with a sketchy “WW”,a trademark for his online alias. He doesn’t normally use it, but since they were on a sensitive mission, Vision agreed that’d it’d be best to go by their nicknames.

Yangyang’s mic clicks on again. “Street cams are down. You’re good to go.”

Sicheng rolls up his sleeves. “Moving in now.” 

Practically knowing the controls by heart, Sicheng manipulates the drone to his liking. He gives it a few simple prompts as a test before finally setting it off into the night. 

His drone was programmed to operate within a 2-mile radius from its controller, and based off the map Yangyang sent him earlier, their target location was only about a mile away.

Sicheng crouches down behind the roof’s ledge. He switches the drone’s feed from his Nano Glass to a gritty-blue projection cast on the wall before him. 

The live feed shows the drone soaring soundlessly over the buildings. There was a moment where the drone’s feed flickered with static, glitching for a millisecond; he paid no mind to it. It was a new model after all. Sicheng continues to skillfully guide it around trees and through power lines.

After a few turns, the drone hovers a good distance away from a familiar-looking building that Vision had huddled over a few weeks ago. 

Xiaojun traced an IP address back to this location. After some digging, they discovered that this was the hotspot for their conspirators. Kun wasted no time with their new lead. After a brief rundown of what they were going to do, he boarded Sicheng on his private jet almost immediately. 

Without another moment of hesitation, Sicheng flies towards the warehouse’s sharded window frames. He hovers in front of a broken piece of the glass, rising slowly to get a better view. 

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Sicheng asks. 

The feed shows nothing out of the ordinary– just an old, run-down warehouse with broken glass, oil stains, and old furniture. He couldn’t make out much since the moon only offered so little light, and he didn’t want to risk turning the drone’s headlight on.

“It should be,” Yangyang answers. “That’s where the IP address came from.”

“But there’s no one here,” Sicheng mutters in confusion. He slowly navigates the drone down from the window’s perch. As it flies lower, Sicheng sees that the grimy stains weren’t just oil.

Yangyang curses.

“Is that blood?” 

Blood was splattered all over the floor in thick splotches, some areas having small puddles. But that wasn’t what made Sicheng’s stomach churn. 

It was the fact that it looked fresh.

“Winwin, I think it’s about time to leave,” Yangyang said gravely. 

Sicheng continued to fly lower making his way around the dismembered furniture and filth. 

“I don’t get it,” Sicheng shakes his head. “If this is the place then where is our guy? And why is there blood?”

“Winwin, I need you to get out of there,” Yangyang says more urgently.

“What!? No! We’ve been at this for a while and now we’re finally here and I want answers.” Sicheng snaps.

“No, it’s not that. It’s-” Yangyang begins.

Silence.

“Yangyang,”

The audio gets cut off.

“Yangyang?” 

Silence. 

“Yangyang!?” Sicheng repeats, becoming slightly alarmed. 

He looks back at the screen. 

The feed was dead. 

They found him. 

Sicheng frantically shoves everything into his bag and scrambles up. He turns around to see three black objects floating before him. He squints.

 _Shit._

There were three black drones, and unlike his, these ones were bigger, bulkier. Modeled to carry heavier equipment. 

Like firearms. 

They rose slowly in the air before him, their laser targets pointed directly at his chest. Slowly, Sicheng raises his hands. 

_“Ni shi shei?”_ He asks in Chinese. No response. 

“Who are you?” He repeats in Korean. 

The drone in the middle moved forward. 

“We should be asking you that,” A husky voice booms from its speakers. The drone beeps and the laser changes from green to red, the other two quickly syncing. 

“How’d you find me?” Sicheng asks before he realizes the stupidity of his question.

The voice laughs quietly. A low, guttural laugh that made his skin crawl. “Turning off the street cameras doesn't do much when we have other eyes watching. One of our robots spotted your drone and we decided to put a tag on it.”

His eyes widened. The static on his feed. It wasn’t a glitch after all. 

The drone flies closer. Sicheng searches its side for a branding or trademark of some sort. 

“We thought you were flying just for fun, considering that your drone was of a newer model,” The voice explains. “But then you started to get closer to a spot we were hoping you wouldn’t.” 

Sicheng stood still as the other two drones came closer. It was too dark for him to make out any brandings. 

The middle drone comes within only a couple of feet in front of him. 

“It can’t be a coincidence that you ended up where you were,” The voice says. “So I’ll ask you one more time.” The drone starts to hum. “Who are you?”

Sicheng stares into the camera unwavering as he hears the sound of a barrel clicking into place. 

The voice laughs again, sending Sicheng another wave of chills. “You have an awfully pretty face. Too bad...I really didn’t want to have to do this.” 

The three drones lock their target into place. Sicheng sprawls roughly onto his stomach as the shots ring out. 

_One second. Two seconds. Three seconds._

Slowly, Sicheng looks up from his place on the ground. Before him, the three drones lay lifeless as they sputter and die out. 

His eyes widen in confusion.

A figure makes his way towards him. 

It was a tall man, slender in build but unmistakably strong. As he got closer, Sicheng could make out his ruby red hair and flour-covered apron. He held a whisk in one hand and a pistol in the other. Sicheng swore. 

_My gun’s in the bag._

“You have about ten seconds to tell me who you are and what you’re doing here before I blow your brains out,” The man says with an eerie calmness as if he’s been in a similar situation before. 

Ruby red hair, a lip piercing and a menacing eyebrow slit accompanies his chilling aura. If he wasn’t wearing a pink, sugar-dusted apron, Sicheng would’ve pissed himself on the spot. 

Sicheng held the man’s gaze, unwavering, knowing that it made it harder to shoot. The man seemed unbothered however, effortlessly clicking the barrel into place. 

_I need to get to my bag._

His body screamed to run away or give in, but Sicheng didn’t blink. 

_Not yet._

“Taeyong?” a voice calls from the door. 

Taeyong tore his gaze away for a second; Sicheng took the chance and sprung to his feet. He darts and lunges for his bag. 

Something grazes the side of his leg. Sicheng yelps. 

“Hey now,” Taeyong coos in faux sweetness. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Sicheng lets out an agonized groan. Blinding white-hot pain blooms from his calf. He looks down through a blur of tears to see a small, blood-covered bullet beside him. 

The man behind Taeyong picks up his bag. Sicheng reaches in protest, a pained whimper escaping his lips instead. 

“That one went straight to your leg,” Taeyong continues unfazed. The gun’s barrel snaps into place. “And this one is going to your head if you don’t tell me your name.”

 _Is this it? Is this what his life has come to?_

Sicheng watches as the man points his gun at him again. His eyes were even more cold and unforgiving than they were a moment ago. 

Taeyong’s finger wraps around the trigger. 

“Wait,” the man says urgently from behind him. 

Taeyong snaps out of his trancelike state. “What is it, Taeil?”

The shorter man, Taeil, studies a small white package. Sicheng squints. 

It was the pack of peanuts from Kun’s jet. His signature was printed in gold against the crinkled white packaging. 

Sicheng feels a rush of nausea and drowsiness wash over him, but it wasn’t from the pain. He’s been shot before, but this felt different. 

_The bullet must’ve been spiked._

Taeil studied him for a second. Sicheng took note of his soft, brown hair and deep eyes. He had a calming feel, a different type of calm from Taeyong. Taeil felt soft, and warm– maybe even welcoming despite the circumstances. 

The world around him spun. Sicheng wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sleep. His body felt like a rock, consciousness starting to leave his body. 

_C’mon, keep yourself together._ He urged himself. 

“Bring him inside immediately,” Taeil calls suddenly to Taeyong. He stands up. “Get Doyoung and Jungwoo to look at his wound.”

Taeyong stood flustered for a second before regaining his composure. 

“Of course,” He says with a firm nod. “But–”

“Now,” Taeil cuts him off. “Whoever was looking for him earlier will be back soon. Get him downstairs.” He pulls out a cloth from his pocket and starts wiping at the small splatter of blood beside him. 

“Yes sir,” Taeyong says quickly. He crouches down and picks Sicheng’s trembling body. 

Sicheng flails in protest, but it didn’t result in much more than weak squirming. His body feels heavy and sluggish. He couldn’t even scream because of how tired he was.

Fluorescent lights and the smell of cherries greet him as they enter the building. His world goes black.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote Yongie here as scary, but we all know that he's the bestest bub ever who likes befriending tiny little frogs :] Taeil as a baker works pretty well, I'd like to think. He also doubles as something else on the opposite end of the spectrum. Next chapter will definetly have yuwin (hehe) so please look forward to that :)


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